Dan Czilli, 54, died suddenly on September 25, 2025. He was born July 6, 1971 in Gary, IN and grew up in Lake County. He graduated Portage High School in 1989, near the top of his class, and earned a BS in Biology, from Northwestern University, in 1993.
He was hired by Eli Lilly soon after and has lived in Indianapolis ever since. He married the love of his life, Delpha, on May 13,1998.

Dan worked as a biologist in the CNS division of Eli Lilly for over 30 years. He has published, or co-authored, numerous papers in scientific journals, mostly on topics related to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease research.

A lifelong animal lover and, for the past 15 years, an avid birdwatcher, Dan was a quiet, yet adventurous, soul with a wonderful sense of humor. He loved best the simple things in life: good food, enjoying nature, and, most of all, spending time with the people he cherished.

Dan is survived by his wife, Delpha (Indianapolis), his parents, Jack and Willie Czilli, and his brother, David Czilli

A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, October 18 at Bible Baptist Church in Portage. Visitation 11AM-12:30PM, with prayer service to follow.

As Dan was particularly fond of marsh birds, and preserving their wetland habitat, in lieu of flowers, please donate to the Shirley Heinze Land Trust (heinzetrust.org) or SaveDunes.org.